New parking system replaces cash with call

Edinburgh in Scotland has seen the introduction of a new parking pay system which does away with the need for the right change to put in the meter. The new system, known as mPark, was launched this week across the city center and allows you to pay for your parking with a mobile phone.

266 solar-powered parking meters have been installed across the city, replacing the standard cash “pay and display” machines. Drivers walk up to the machine and make a phone call using their mobile phone; they are then asked to enter the identification number of the machine they are standing at and the length of stay required. After the drivers answer the machine spews out a ticket which is placed on the car. The whole process is meant to take about 15 seconds to complete. The charge for the parking is taken from a credit card or account of your choosing.

Another added feature of this system is a reminder text message. If opted for, a text message is sent to your mobile phone 10 minutes before your parking ticket expires. This is done for an additional charge of 20 pence (US$0.34).

MATTHEW'S OPINION
I hate having to make sure I have the right change every time I drive to the city center to do some shopping. It's the same with public transport as well; buses require you to have the correct change and the tram/train operators are pretty strict on how big a note they will or won't accept.

Another problem is people not paying for parking. This usually incurs a hefty fine if caught, but usually happens because people forget change and just can't pay without popping to a shop first.

This new system is well overdue in my opinion. Pretty much everyone carries a mobile phone nowadays, and the speed at which this system gives you a ticket will help. No one wants to stand in the cold trying to find the right change in a queue of 20 people on a busy shopping day. The idea of the text message reminder is a good one as well, as it is easy to forget what time your ticket expires if you bought it 6 hours ago. The extra charge is not so good, though; parking authorities could surely factor that into the cost of the ticket in the first place.

The only potential problem I see is people trying to phone the same machine at the same time. If this happens we may see people taking the wrong tickets. If the system is intelligent enough it should print the name and even the car registration on the ticket so there is no confusion.

I hope this system spreads across the rest of the U.K. Anything that makes shopping less of a headache (especially with the approaching festive season) is good news in my book. Is there an equivalent in the U.S.?

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USER COMMENTS 19 comment(s)

This sounds great…(11:07am EST Mon Nov 03 2003)…until some unscrupulous hacker intercepts the signals and gets my credit card number. Or, better yet, he/she doesn't even need the number–all they have to do is capture the signal and have the money deposited into an account of his/her choosing.

We all know these technologies are far from fool proof and, until wireless transactions have beefed up security, I don't see myself being a proponent of this plan. – by waiting to exhale

low tech may be better here…(11:31am EST Mon Nov 03 2003)it still seems easier (and cheaper) to just keep a roll of quarters in your car for the parking meters. 20 pence seems a steep price to pay for getting expiration notification, and it's unclear what “surcharge” is imposed for using this in the first place. it should be free, or send you a message asking if you want to extend you parking and let you pay for it via phone without going back to the car.

– by dwx

WHA?(11:40am EST Mon Nov 03 2003)Does this mean that if you DON'T want to use your mobile phone you CAN'T park in those spaces??! That's crap!

And there goes about 3 dozen meter maid jobs. – by sucky

credit card machines(12:09pm EST Mon Nov 03 2003)there are already parking lots with ticket machines that just require you insert a credit card for payment. what good is this if you haven't got a cell phone? – by spook